A new study discovers that
infertility treatment can negatively impact a women’s sex life. Despite the
importance of sex in conceiving a child, little attention has been given to the
sexual dynamics of couples as they work to overcome infertility challenges. “Sex
is for pleasure and for reproduction, but attention to pleasure often goes by
the wayside for people struggling to conceive,” said Nicole Smith, a doctoral
student with Indiana University’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion.
Smith is conducting the study in
collaboration with Jody Lyneé Madeira, Ph.D. “With assisted reproductive
technologies (ART), couples often report that they feel like a science
experiment, as hormones are administered and sex has to be planned and timed.
It can become stressful and is often very unromantic and regimented;
relationships are known to suffer during the process.”
Researchers say the study is one
of the first in the United States to examine women’s sexual experiences while
undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. Investigators used a Sexual
Functioning Questionnaire to assess the impact of IVF treatment on couples’
sexual experiences. Compared to a sample of healthy women, women undergoing IVF
reported significantly less sexual desire, interest in sexual activity and
satisfaction with their sexual relationship. They had more difficulty with
orgasm and were more likely to report sexual problems such as vaginal pain and
dryness.
Experts have recognized that
emotional and relationship challenges intensify as a couple’s use of ART
proceeded. Attention to challenges in having sex has somehow escaped the
purview of key parties. When couples meet with their physicians, their sex life
might not top the list of issues they want to discuss, either because of unease
talking about the subject or simply because they have so many other important
issues to discuss.
Still, Smith and Madeira say, the
doctor-patient relationship is key, and couples can be told up front about the
potential sexual side effects and resources that can help. If they have issues
with dryness, for example, they could be counseled on remedies such as
purchasing lubricant or other sexual enhancement products. In addition to
referring couples to mental health counselors, reproductive endocrinologists
could also refer them to sex therapists. “There’s just a dearth of knowledge on
how infertility affects sexual behavior,” Madeira said. “The focus is more
likely to be on the social and support dimensions of the relationship, but sex
is a big part of that. Just letting patients know they aren’t alone in this
would be helpful.”
If more information about sexual
challenges becomes available, couples might find it on their own. “Women
interested in ART are generally well-educated and tend to spend time
researching these issues,” Madeira said. “They would be very responsive to this
information, and proactive.” The study involved 270 women who
completed an online questionnaire; interviews with 127 men and women using IVF
to try to conceive; and interviews with 70 professionals, including physicians,
nurses, mental health experts and other providers who work directly with
patients.
IVF is a procedure in which mature
eggs are retrieved from a woman’s ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab,
forming embryos. The embryo(s) are then implanted in the woman’s uterus. It is
considered an effective procedure but one that is used after couples try
several other less invasive procedures. By the time couples begin IVF, they
might have been trying to conceive for many years. Nine percent of the women in
their study had been through five IVF cycles, which could take at least a year.
Here are some of their other
findings:
•
Women who reported
being sexually active with a partner in the past month also were more likely to
engage in masturbation and report fewer sexual problems;
•
The women reported
similar problems with sexual function regardless of the type or source of
infertility involved: male factor, female factor, or both male and female
factor;
Hormonal treatments used in
assisted reproductive technologies likely affect women’s sexual experiences and
pain, but these effects are not as well understood and receive less priority
than other conditions, such as heart disease and cancer.
Psych Central
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